Meetup : RTLW Meetup: Contra Dance!
Discussion article for the meetup : RTLW Meetup: Contra Dance!
In lieu of our regular coffee and discussion, this week’s meetup will be held at the Century Center in Carrboro, where A GREAT DANCE will be taking place.
If you’re a new dancer, there will be an intro lesson at 7 that will cover much of what you’ll need to know. Try to arrive by about 6:50.
If you can’t arrive in time for the lesson or find you are running late, please come dance anyway! Ruthan, David, Evan, or any other experienced dancer will be happy to help you.
You will need:
* $10 for admission
* Your dancing feet, in smooth-soled shoes, flat or low-heeled. (A few brave people do dance barefoot.)
You might also like to have:
* A water bottle
* An extra shirt or two if you’re given to sweating profusely
* A twirly skirt
* A brace or wrap for any problematic joints (if only to signal to other dancers that they should make a point of being gentle)
The dance will run til 10:30, but staying the whole time isn’t a requirement. Dancers often partake of potables and comestibles at a local establishment afterwards, though this will be subject to what’s open late on a Thursday.
Requisite link to RTLW listserv: http://groups.google.com/group/rtlw Comment here or there if you’re interested in a carpool!
Contra is an emergent, tesellated, permutating turbine generator of Hedons, Flow, and Awesome, of which you are a self-aware component.
There are few things I would recommend more highly for a human, especially for people who don’t “get” dance (like myself 4 months ago). This is because you follow very simple instructions, you do not need to think about what you’re doing with your feet at all, and the people are incredibly welcoming. It’s great for social comfort zone expansion—virtually no one will turn you down if you ask to dance, unless they already have partner for that dance (there are usually about 10 dances per night). Eye contact is also a norm (and practically required as a dizziness countermeasure). It’s a great workout, and as instructors often warn in the intro, the sorest muscles will be your smiled-out cheeks.
Is the link representative of all Contra dancing?
I’ve only been like 3 times but I would say yes, except for that it’s bigger and they’re not showing the slow instruction parts at the beginning.
Sometimes the production values are not quite that high in real life, but I’d say it’s a good representation.
Many of us in Boston LW meetup have gotten into contra. This makes me very happy.
Hope it goes well! I’ll be playing some North Carolina contra dances in mid-July.
yes i like music